Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 04/26/2025 3:00:36 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
It is a dogma of the Catholic faith that the Blessed Virgin Mary was not only a virgin when she conceived and bore Jesus but that she remained a virgin ever after. Most Protestant Christians today deny this – but do they know that many of their early leaders believed it?
Here are 5 examples of major Protestant leaders who rejected huge swaths of Catholic dogma, but – you may surprised to learn – defended the perpetual virginity of Mary:
1) Martin Luther is usually considered to be the person who sparked the Protestant Reformation. He rejected core Catholic dogmas like the papacy, transubstantiation, and even parts of the traditional Bible. But he kept the doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity. Here’s what he said about it in a sermon:
“Christ, our Savior, was the real and natural fruit of Mary’s virginal womb . . . This was without the cooperation of a man, and she remained a virgin after that. […] Christ . . . was the only Son of Mary, and the Virgin Mary bore no children besides Him . . . I am inclined to agree with those who declare that ‘brothers’ really mean ‘cousins’ here, for Holy Writ and the Jews always call cousins brothers.” (Sermons on John)
2) John Calvin started what is now known as the Reformed theological tradition, which reject many key Catholic dogmas. Though he warned that those who take time to argue about it simply have an “extreme fondness of disputation,” he also argued that those who reject Mary’s perpetual virginity based on Scriptural passages that mention Jesus’ “brothers and sisters” show “excessive ignorance.”
3) Huldrych Zwingli was a Swiss Reformer during the lifetime of Martin Luther. He not only rejected the authority of the Church, but, unlike Luther, actually went so far as to deny the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist altogether. But on the topic of Mary’s perpetual virgin, he wrote:
“I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin.” (Zwingli Opera, Corpus Reformatorum, Berlin, 1905, v. 1, p. 424)
4) Thomas Cranmer was the Archbishop of Canterbury during Henry VIII’s schism from Rome and thereafter and was a major figure in building Anglicanism. Yet he and other major Anglican leaders maintained the perpetual virginity of Mary “on the basis of ancient Christian authority.”
5) John Wesley's teachings and ministry led to the worldwide Methodist movement. He strongly rejected Catholicism – but the perpetual virginity of Mary wasn’t one of the things he saw as problematic. In his Letter to a Roman Catholic, he wrote:
“I believe that He [Jesus] was made man, joining the human nature with the divine in one person; being conceived by the singular operation of the Holy Ghost, and born of the blessed Virgin Mary, who, as well after as before she brought Him forth, continued a pure and unspotted virgin.”
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
I can read, so I dont really what what a bunch of idiots who lived 100’s of years ago thought on biblical matters.
Good grief.
The logical fallacy of authority. Famous so n so said this, so that’s proof it’s true.
There are brilliant people through history who have believed and said and done some really dumb things.
Someone should have told Jesus Christ’s brothers and father that Mary could both conceive naturally and somehow still be a perpetual virgin. Kind of like Mohammed’s 72 virgins.
Excellent information Condoleeza; I was not aware so many Protestant leaders held this view. I’m surprised many Protestant brothers and sisters can argue against this dogma when so many of their founders agreed to it.
Immaculate Conception or Immaculate Reception?
What difference does it make? Who cares?
Where’s the beef?
Jesus made it into the world and did a pretty good job being here, n’est pas?
Sorry he left in a hurry.
But that is not the actual point. Catholics on this forum have stated that the Catholic Church believes that the Virgin Mother Mary was born from a virgin birth just like Jesus, which allows her to be worshiped just like Jesus. No Protestant believes that is true.
This article misrepresents things. Yes, brother could mean cousin and Luther and Calvin are correct to point that out.
That isn’t proof of virginity. Sola scripture. Her perpetual virginity is nowhere in the Bible. Thus is should not and cannot be an article of faith.
What are you trying to say?
According to the New Testament, Jesus had siblings, so how could Mary have remained a virgin?
His mother and His brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak with Him (Matthew 12:46, HBFV, see also Mark 3:31, Luke 8:19). Did these heretics read the Bible?
“ It is a dogma of the Catholic faith that the Blessed Virgin Mary was not only a virgin when she conceived and bore Jesus but that she remained a virgin ever after. Most Protestant Christians today deny this – but do they know that many of their early leaders believed it?”
Your article starts off with a false assertion.
Why should anybody read the rest of it?
Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus. Then later she had other children with Joseph.
And no, she is not God, nor is she a "goddess" (they don't exist IRL), nor is she to be worshipped in the sense in which God is.
They must not have picked up a Bible and actually read it if they believe that.
Yes.
Why do they keep pushing this crap.
I think someone is misinformed
Catholics believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary, which means she was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. However, the belief in Mary’s virgin birth is different from the belief in her perpetual virginity. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which states that Mary was conceived without original sin, is distinct from the belief that she was born of a virgin. There is no official Catholic teaching that Mary was born of a virgin like Jesus.
A "fact" which is stated nowhere in Scripture, and which is completely inconsistent with both Mary's reply to the angel ("How can this be, since I know not man?") and Jesus giving her to St John at Calvary.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.